Traditionally, aircraft have been manufactured in a single stationary location. During the manufacturing or “build-up” of the aircraft, components and systems are brought to a designated location in which the fuselage of the aircraft is stationed. Due to a desire to increase the efficiency of aircraft production, to minimize congestion of systems and components in a single location, and to minimize the amount of inventory existing at any one time within a facility, some aircraft are now being manufactured through the use of a moving production line.
A moving production line allows a fuselage to be transitioned from station to station where components and systems are installed. At each station a designated set of tasks are performed. Respective components and systems are delivered to and located near the appropriate station where they are to be installed onto the fuselage. Thus, each station has a minimal amount of associated inventory. Also, each station has a minimal amount of equipment and personal to perform the designated tasks for that station. Thus, there is less congestion in any single location and improved efficiency.
A desire exists for the ability to change the location of a moving production line from one location to another in a short period of time. Although a moving production line provides the above-stated advantages, a moving production line is limited in mobility and flexibility. In general, a moving production line consists of a rail system that is fixed to a plant facility floor. Multiple carriers, carrying various aircraft components and sub-assemblies, such as the aircraft fuselage, are pulled via chain from station to station. The rail system is stationary and thus cannot be moved to a different location without a considerable amount of time and expense in dismantling, transporting, and rebuilding the rail system. Also, the carriers are locked in a particular order and cannot easily be altered or relocated.
In addition, a desire also exists for an aircraft under production or components thereof to be positioned close to the floor of a production facility for ease of manufacturing. Low positioning, for example, of a fuselage allows personal to walk directly onto the fuselage without use of ladders or other lifting or escalating devices. Current rail systems fail to provide such positioning.
Thus, there exists a need for an improved moving production line system that allows for the repositioning of a moving production line and that allows for systems and components of an aircraft to be in low easy to access vertical positions during manufacturing and assembly of that aircraft.